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The brain runs almost entirely on beta-hydroxybuterate, and human mitochondria have a very efficient process to use BHB (instead of glucose) for power. The mos

The brain runs almost entirely on beta-hydroxybuterate, and human mitochondria have a very efficient process to use BHB (instead of glucose) for power. The most efficient diet for humans is one high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs; which explains the absolutely curable disorder known as Diabetes II (aka chronic insulin resistance). And before anyone jumps on the "keto is a fad diet" bandwagon: if it is, indeed, a fad, it is a fad that modern humans have eaten for 200,000 years, and our ancestors have eaten for another 2 million before that. If our taste for fat did not make us human, it certainly defines a particular trait of ours that all humans depend on.

seekingcharlie 8y ago
Diabetes II can also be “cured” by a high carb low fat diet. Not all carbs are equal; the problem is refined carbs.
- ZeroFries 8y ago
  You can cure diabetes with refined rice, fruit, fruit juice, and sugar diet (Kempner rice diet). The problem isn't any particular macronutrient, it's most likely an excess of calories.
londt8 8y ago
I have understood that saturated fats are bigger culprit for type 2 diabetes than high carb intake. Also sugars are larger risk than carbs in general.
- will_brown 8y ago
  Type 2 is insulin resistance. In other words your body produces insulin to clear sugar from the blood but the body no longer responds (actually clears the sugar from the blood) to insulin. The resistance (type 2) is built up over time (historically it was “adult onset”) to insulin spikes. I don’t believe saturated fats introduce sugar into the blood, so they don’t cause insulin spikes, which means they don’t contribute to resistance (at least not directly). In a roundabout way they may contribute to a surplus of calories and the storage of fat, ultimately causing obesity, which does seem to speed up the resistance to insulin. But all things being equal the same surplus of calories on a high carb diet will be more detrimental because there will be insulin spikes and the insulin will also enlarge fat cells allowing the body to store more fat (ie become obese more efficiently).
  - ZeroFries 8y ago
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26615402/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26615402/
    - will_brown 8y ago
      Yes the study suggest high fat diets may effect insulin sensitivity....so long as the test subjects are consuming carbs ALSO and triggering insulin. In other words the didn’t test effects of high fat diets while subjects were otherwise avoiding insulin spikes. So yes eating fats is an issue while eating carbs and spiking insulin. You won’t find a single medical case of T2D where the subject hasn’t repeatedly spiked insulin with carbs/sugar.
will_brown 8y ago
I certainly function (mentally and physically) better in a state of ketosis. Notwithstanding my personal anecdote, I want to add to your observation on energy/atp (in the mitochondria) efficiency and BHB/ketones. A lot of people counter argue that the body/brain run more efficiently primarily on glucose and glycogen rather than ketones. While it is true if you introduce sugar (glucose) into the blood, cells will generally begin to produce energy/atp primarily from glucose over ketones. However, it is not because the glucose is more efficient, in fact ketones are smaller making them the a more efficient fuel source of the cells. For example, bc they are smaller they cross the blood-brain barrier more easily and are more efficiently used by brain cells to be converted into energy/atp (in the mitochondria). I think there is a reason we call it “getting knocked out of ketosis” because that is our natural state. That is forget high fat/low carb and abstain from all calories and drink only water to stay hydrated and the body will go into ketosis, which is what we are talking about when we discuss “fasting” as a metabolic state (vs say a culturally/religiously defined “fast”).
- nradov 8y ago
  The body runs more efficiently on glucose when measured in terms of oxygen consumption. That's why very few elite endurance athletes eat ketogenic diets. Their performance is limited by how much oxygen they can metabolize.
  - will_brown 8y ago
    I’d say historically (modern history) you didn’t see any athletes eating ketogenic diets, but more and more you are seeing athletes (especially endurance athletes) eating Keto diets. Keto is great for aerobic activity, the idea of a tribe of early man persistence hunting a mammoth for example would have performed better long term in ketosis having unlimited stores of fuel (fat) rather than draining their glucose in 8 or so miles and “hitting a wall”. It’s anerobic activity (sprinting or bodybuilding/Olympic lifting) where there may be a slight detriment in performance. I’ve run marathons in both ketosis and running on glucose. I won’t go there because it’s anecdotal but marathoners, body builders and Olympic style lifters are not the norm and have different requirements especially competing for records. No doubt it’s one thing to live in a natural state of ketosis and treat yourself to a performance boost with some fruit when you are about to burn any glucose than what almost the entire modern world does and spikes their insulin levels all day every day and their body/cells basically not even familiar with how to use ketones as a fuel.
lustysocietyorg 8y ago
> The brain runs almost entirely on beta-hydroxybuterate This is not true. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900881/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900881/ Quote: The mammalian brain depends upon glucose as its main source of energy, and tight regulation of glucose metabolism is critical for brain physiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826689 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826689 Quote: β-Hydroxybutyrate (βOHB), a ketone body, is oxidised as a brain fuel. Although its contribution to energy metabolism in the healthy brain is minimal, it is an interesting metabolite which is not only oxidised but also has other direct and collateral effects which make it a molecule of interest for therapeutic purposes. > The most efficient diet for humans is one high in fat, moderate in protein, low in carbs; This is not true. Scientifically proven best diet: Whole food plant based high carb, low-moderate fat and low protein. Unless the body is starving, fat and protein are not converted to glucose (the main energy source for cells) to cover energy needs. Fat Consumption is the Only Cause of Weight Gain (2018-07-14). https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-9573/ https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-957... Why Doctors Don't Recommend A Vegan Diet | Dr. Michael Greger (2015-05-17). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1Ca6SsKfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1Ca6SsKfE Dr Garth Davis: Americans have become obsessed with Protein (2015-10-28). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCt3IhaUtU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCt3IhaUtU Omnivore or Herbivore? https://livinontheveg.com/omnivore-or-herbivore/ https://livinontheveg.com/omnivore-or-herbivore/ Besides: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw/videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw/vid...
- callmeal 8y ago
  >>Fat Consumption is the Only Cause of Weight Gain (2018-07-14). https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-9573/ https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-957... Wow the sugar industry is still at it. Read the abstract. The study concludes that mice are incapable of auto-regulating caloric intake because fat stimulates their pleasure pathways causing them to overeat. Kinda like how sugar behaves in humans. See the graphical abstract[0] for a pictorial depiction the authors have helpfully provided. [0]: https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30392-9#secsectitle0015 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)...
rorykoehler 8y ago
The diet you describe is what I am using to treat my AS. It's not cured it by any stretch but it has done wonders and is improving my health steadily the deeper I go into this dietary journey.
ZeroFries 8y ago
High fat diets can cause insulin resistance. So can high protein diets. Overall blood sugar regulation remains similar across most macronutrient ratios as long as calories are controlled, as cells scale their receptivity to insulin to maintain homeostasis. The number one controllable factor is calorie intake (minus calorie expenditure), not macronutrient breakdown, and there isn't any one priveledged breakdown that universally works for everyone to control calorie intake.

seekingcharlie 8y ago

Diabetes II can also be “cured” by a high carb low fat diet. Not all carbs are equal; the problem is refined carbs.

ZeroFries 8y ago
You can cure diabetes with refined rice, fruit, fruit juice, and sugar diet (Kempner rice diet). The problem isn't any particular macronutrient, it's most likely an excess of calories.

londt8 8y ago

I have understood that saturated fats are bigger culprit for type 2 diabetes than high carb intake. Also sugars are larger risk than carbs in general.

will_brown 8y ago
Type 2 is insulin resistance. In other words your body produces insulin to clear sugar from the blood but the body no longer responds (actually clears the sugar from the blood) to insulin. The resistance (type 2) is built up over time (historically it was “adult onset”) to insulin spikes. I don’t believe saturated fats introduce sugar into the blood, so they don’t cause insulin spikes, which means they don’t contribute to resistance (at least not directly). In a roundabout way they may contribute to a surplus of calories and the storage of fat, ultimately causing obesity, which does seem to speed up the resistance to insulin. But all things being equal the same surplus of calories on a high carb diet will be more detrimental because there will be insulin spikes and the insulin will also enlarge fat cells allowing the body to store more fat (ie become obese more efficiently).
- ZeroFries 8y ago
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26615402/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26615402/
  - will_brown 8y ago
    Yes the study suggest high fat diets may effect insulin sensitivity....so long as the test subjects are consuming carbs ALSO and triggering insulin. In other words the didn’t test effects of high fat diets while subjects were otherwise avoiding insulin spikes. So yes eating fats is an issue while eating carbs and spiking insulin. You won’t find a single medical case of T2D where the subject hasn’t repeatedly spiked insulin with carbs/sugar.

will_brown 8y ago

I certainly function (mentally and physically) better in a state of ketosis. Notwithstanding my personal anecdote, I want to add to your observation on energy/atp (in the mitochondria) efficiency and BHB/ketones. A lot of people counter argue that the body/brain run more efficiently primarily on glucose and glycogen rather than ketones. While it is true if you introduce sugar (glucose) into the blood, cells will generally begin to produce energy/atp primarily from glucose over ketones. However, it is not because the glucose is more efficient, in fact ketones are smaller making them the a more efficient fuel source of the cells. For example, bc they are smaller they cross the blood-brain barrier more easily and are more efficiently used by brain cells to be converted into energy/atp (in the mitochondria). I think there is a reason we call it “getting knocked out of ketosis” because that is our natural state. That is forget high fat/low carb and abstain from all calories and drink only water to stay hydrated and the body will go into ketosis, which is what we are talking about when we discuss “fasting” as a metabolic state (vs say a culturally/religiously defined “fast”).

nradov 8y ago
The body runs more efficiently on glucose when measured in terms of oxygen consumption. That's why very few elite endurance athletes eat ketogenic diets. Their performance is limited by how much oxygen they can metabolize.
- will_brown 8y ago
  I’d say historically (modern history) you didn’t see any athletes eating ketogenic diets, but more and more you are seeing athletes (especially endurance athletes) eating Keto diets. Keto is great for aerobic activity, the idea of a tribe of early man persistence hunting a mammoth for example would have performed better long term in ketosis having unlimited stores of fuel (fat) rather than draining their glucose in 8 or so miles and “hitting a wall”. It’s anerobic activity (sprinting or bodybuilding/Olympic lifting) where there may be a slight detriment in performance. I’ve run marathons in both ketosis and running on glucose. I won’t go there because it’s anecdotal but marathoners, body builders and Olympic style lifters are not the norm and have different requirements especially competing for records. No doubt it’s one thing to live in a natural state of ketosis and treat yourself to a performance boost with some fruit when you are about to burn any glucose than what almost the entire modern world does and spikes their insulin levels all day every day and their body/cells basically not even familiar with how to use ketones as a fuel.

lustysocietyorg 8y ago

> The brain runs almost entirely on beta-hydroxybuterate This is not true. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900881/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900881/ Quote: The mammalian brain depends upon glucose as its main source of energy, and tight regulation of glucose metabolism is critical for brain physiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826689 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826689 Quote: β-Hydroxybutyrate (βOHB), a ketone body, is oxidised as a brain fuel. Although its contribution to energy metabolism in the healthy brain is minimal, it is an interesting metabolite which is not only oxidised but also has other direct and collateral effects which make it a molecule of interest for therapeutic purposes. > The most efficient diet for humans is one high in fat, moderate in protein, low in carbs; This is not true. Scientifically proven best diet: Whole food plant based high carb, low-moderate fat and low protein. Unless the body is starving, fat and protein are not converted to glucose (the main energy source for cells) to cover energy needs. Fat Consumption is the Only Cause of Weight Gain (2018-07-14). https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-9573/ https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-957... Why Doctors Don't Recommend A Vegan Diet | Dr. Michael Greger (2015-05-17). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1Ca6SsKfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1Ca6SsKfE Dr Garth Davis: Americans have become obsessed with Protein (2015-10-28). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCt3IhaUtU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCt3IhaUtU Omnivore or Herbivore? https://livinontheveg.com/omnivore-or-herbivore/ https://livinontheveg.com/omnivore-or-herbivore/ Besides: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw/videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw/vid...

callmeal 8y ago
>>Fat Consumption is the Only Cause of Weight Gain (2018-07-14). https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-9573/ https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-consumption-weight-gain-957... Wow the sugar industry is still at it. Read the abstract. The study concludes that mice are incapable of auto-regulating caloric intake because fat stimulates their pleasure pathways causing them to overeat. Kinda like how sugar behaves in humans. See the graphical abstract[0] for a pictorial depiction the authors have helpfully provided. [0]: https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30392-9#secsectitle0015 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)...

rorykoehler 8y ago

The diet you describe is what I am using to treat my AS. It's not cured it by any stretch but it has done wonders and is improving my health steadily the deeper I go into this dietary journey.

ZeroFries 8y ago

High fat diets can cause insulin resistance. So can high protein diets. Overall blood sugar regulation remains similar across most macronutrient ratios as long as calories are controlled, as cells scale their receptivity to insulin to maintain homeostasis. The number one controllable factor is calorie intake (minus calorie expenditure), not macronutrient breakdown, and there isn't any one priveledged breakdown that universally works for everyone to control calorie intake.